Paul Rand’s Boss

From 1941 to 1954, Paul Rand worked as art director of the William H. Weintraub advertising agency in New York, where he collaborated with copywriter Bill Bernbach (they would visit art galleries and museums and discuss how art and copy worked in harmony). Rand created advertisements where text and images were integrated, working together to produce an effective and engaging message. His ads for Orbach’s department store, in which he partnered with Bernbach launched a trend in minimalist copy and design.

But none of this could have occurred if not for the freedom that William H. Weintraub gave to Rand and the trust he had that a new approach would attract an audience and influence the consumer.

Little has been written about Weintraub, but Rand never forgot his influence. I recent found in my files this paper sculpture caricature of the adman by Rand’s former assistant at the Weintraub agency and friend Morris Wyszogrod.

About Steven Heller

Steven Heller is the co-chair of the SVA MFA Designer /Designer as Author + Entrepreneur program, writes a weekly column for The Atlantic online and is the "Visuals" Columnist for the New York Times Book Review. He is also the author of over 160 books on design and visual culture. And he is the 2011 recipient of the Smithsonian National Design Award.